Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-11
THE CONFEDERATE FLAG.
Tho Flag That Hauats the Dreams OF the
Eternal Hateites.
Chicago Inter Ocean

Chicago Inter Ocean.
In the flag museum at Washington, IN
the War Department building, may be
seen the first flag raised over Charleston
in 1861, literally the first banner Of seces-
sion. 1t is perfect caricature OF flag.
1t is made of Dunting-once white, no
doubt, but now dingy with time and dust
and upon it is sewed d poor representa-
ton of a palmetto tree; this has eight
branches and no leaves, and looks more
like huge spider than anything
else. On it are also sewed eleven red
stars and red moon just rising. THIS
flag was used at Forts Sumter and Moul-
trie st the outbreak of the war. Just as
the palmetto flag was used by the State
of South Carolina when it seeded, the
pelican flag was used by Louisiana, and
flags of other designs were used by other
states. But the first Confederate flag
legally established was adopted st Mont
gomery March 4, 1861. It nsd red field,
with q white stripe through the center,
one third the width of the flag, and the
union was blue, extending down through
the white space to the second red space,
and in the center OF It Yves a circle OF
seven white stars, indicating the number
of states in the Confederscy. This was
the famous "Stars and Bars" BIT it
was too much like the United States fig,
so that on the battlefield Of Bull Run the
one was frequently mistaken for the
ether. At the suggestion Of General
Besuregsrd, therefore, the "Southern
| Cross" or battle flag, was adopted for
field service, and used to the end Of the
war. This dad red field, with blue bars
diagopally across it, in the form of Greek
cross, with seven stars in white or gold.
The bars were separated from the red
ground by q white flllet inserted. This
for infantry service was made four feet
square; for cavalry three feet, and for ar
tillery two and g half feet square. twas
never used for sea service, as it had no
anton, and could not be reversed as a
signal OF distress. The "stars and bars"
was therefore used by the navy. Another
flag was adopted by the Confederate Con-
gress May l, 1858. The length of this
flag wss twice it's width, and it had a
white field, with the battle-a.g as its
union. The first vessel to use this fig
was the Atlanta. tie Confederate ram,
| which left the port of Savannah in May,
with the hope of winning leurels for the
new standard. She was met, however,
oy the monitor Weehawken. June II, and
after an engagement OF fifteen minutes
she was so battered that her officers
hauled down her flag, tore of square OF
the white and displayed 1t as 8 flag OF
truce. This second flag was objected to
because it was so much like the British
standard, and also becsuge 1t resembled a
flag of truce. The latter objection was
regarded as so valid that 8
broad strip of red WIS attached
to the fly end of the fiag, The third
and last ensign of the short-liVed Con-
federscy was adopted by the Confederate
Congress February 4, 1865. Its width was
to be two-:hirds OF its length, and its
union, for which the design OF the battle
fIg was still used, was three-ffths the
width of the fsg. rs field was white,
except the outer half from the union,
which was red bar the width Of the flag.
Three months after the adoption OF the
ensign, its raisoa d. etre peris in the
utter overthrow Of the Confederate
| armies